for the love we bear to God, and for the desire we have to please him, we have therein transgressed the Lord's commandments. And now, neighbor Nomologista, I pray you consider, whether you have gone near keeping all the commandments perfectly or no?

Nom. But, sir, are you sure that the Lord requires that every man should keep all the ten commandments according as you have now expounded them?

THE USE OF THE LAW.

Evan. Yea, indeed he doth, and if you question it, I pray you, consider further, that one asking our Saviour, which is the "great commandment in the law," he answered,* *"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This," "saith he, "is the first and great commandment; and the second is like unto this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

Whereupon, saith a famous spiritual expositor,† "God will have the whole heart; and all the powers of our souls must be bent towards him, he will have himself to be acknowledged and reckoned as our sovereign and supreme good; our love to him must be perfect and absolute: he requires, that there be not found in us the least thought, inclination, or appetite of any thing which may displease him; and that we direct all our actions to this very end, that he alone may be glorified by us: and that for the love we bear unto God, we must do well unto our neighbor, according to the commandments of God. Consider also, I

pray you, that it is said, Deut. 27: 26. Gal. 3: 10. "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." Now, if you do consider these things well, you shall perceive that the Lord requires every man to keep all the ten commandments perfectly, according as I have expounded them, and concludes all those under the curse that do not so keep them.

* Matth. 22: 6, 7, 8, 9. +Ursin. Cat. p. 37, 38.

Nom. Surely, sir, you mistook, in saying that the Lord requires every man to keep all the ten commandments perfectly; I suppose you would have said, the Lord requires that every man endeavor to keep them perfectly.

Evan. No, neighbor Nomologista, I did not mistake, for I say it again, that the Lord requires of every man, perfect obedience to all the ten commandments, and concludes all those under the curse, that do not yield it; for it is not said, Cursed is every man that doth not endeavor to continue in all things, but, "Cursed is every man that continueth not in all things," &c.

Nom. But, sir, do you think that any man continues in all things, as you have expounded them?

Evan. No, no, it is impossible that any man should. Nom. And, sir, what is it to be under the curse?

Evan. To be under the curse, as Luther and Perkins well agree, is to be under sin, the wrath of God and everlasting death.

Nom. But, sir, I pray you, how can this stand with the justice of God, to require man to do that which is impossible, and yet to conclude him under the curse for not doing it?

Evan. You shall perceive that it well stands with the justice of God to deal so with man, if you consider, that this law of God, or these ten commandments, which we have now expounded, are, as Ursinus's catechism truly saith, "A doctrine agreeing with the eternal and immortal wisdom and justice that is in God," wherein saith Calvin, "God hath so painted out his own nature, that it does in a manner express the very image of God." And we read Gen. 1: 27. That man at the first was created in the image and likeness of God; whence it must needs follow that this law was written in his heart, (that is to say,) God did engrave in man's heart such wisdom and knowledge of his will and works, and such integrity in his soul, and such a fitness in all the powers thereof, that his mind was able to conceive, his heart to desire, and his body to put in execution, any thing which was acceptable to God; so that in very deed he was able to keep all the ten commandments perfectly.

And therefore, though God require of man impossible

things, yet is he not unjust, neither does he injure us in so doing, because he commanded them when they were possible; and though we have now lost our ability of performance, yet it being by our voluntary falling from the state of innocence in which we were at first created, God hath not lost his right of requiring that of us, which he once gave us.

Nom. But, sir, you know it was our first parents only that did fall away from God in eating the forbidden fruit, and none of their posterity; how then can it be truly said, that we have lost that power through our own default?

Evan. For answer to this, I pray you consider, that Adam by God's appointment, was not to stand or fall as a single person only, but as a common public person representing all mankind which were to come of him. And therefore, as in case he had been obedient, and not eaten the forbidden fruit, he had retained and kept that power which he had by creation, as well for all mankind as for himself; even so by his disobedience in eating that forbidden fruit, he was disrobed of God's image, and so lost that power, as well for all mankind as for himself. Nom. Why then, sir, it would seem that all mankind are under sin, wrath, and eternal death.

"For we

Evan. Yea, indeed, by nature they are so, know, saith the apostle, that whatsoever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." Rom. 3: 19. And again saith he, "We have proved both the Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin." Rom. 3: 9. And in another place he saith, we were by nature children of wrath as well as others," Eph. 2: 3. and lastly, he saith, "So death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom. 5: 12.

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Nom. But, sir, I pray you tell me whether you think any regenerate man keeps the commandments perfectly according as you have expounded them?

Evan. No, not the most sanctified man in the world. Nom. Why then, sir, it should seem, that not only natural men, but regenerate men also, are under the curse of the law. For if every one that keepeth not the law perfectly be concluded under the curse; and if regenerate

men do not keep the law perfectly, then they must needs also be under the curse.

Evan. The conclusion of your argument is not true, for if by regenerate men you mean true believers, then they have fulfilled the law perfectly in Christ, or rather Christ hath perfectly fulfilled the law in them, and was made a curse for them, and so hath redeemed them from the curse of the law, as you may see, Gal. 3: 13.

Nom. Well, sir, now I understand you, and have ever been of your judgment in that point, for I have ever concluded thus; that either a man himself, or Christ for him, must keep the law perfectly, or else God will not accept of him, and therefore have I endeavored to do the best I could to keep the law perfectly, and wherein I have failed and come short, I have believed that Christ hath done it for me.

Evan. The apostle saith, Gal. 3:10. "So many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse." And truly neighbor Nomologista, if I may speak it without offence, I fear you are still of the works of the law, and therefore still under the curse.

Nom. Why, sir, I pray you, what is it to be of the works of the law?

Evan. To be of the works of the law is, for a man to look, or hope to be justified or accepted in the sight of God, for his own obedience to the law.

Nom. But surely, sir, I never did so; for though by reason of my being ignorant of what is required and forbidden in every commandment, I had a conceit that I came very near the perfect fulfilling of the law, yet I never thought I did all things that are contained therein, and therefore I never looked, nor hoped that God would accept me for mine own obedience without Christ's being joined with it.

Evan. Then it seems you did conceive, that your obedience and Christ's must be joined together, and so God would accept you for that.

Nom. Yea, indeed, sir, there have been my hopes, and indeed there are still my hopes.

Evan. Aye, but neighbor Nomologista, as I told my neighbor Neophitus, and others not long since, so I tell

you now, that as the justice of God requires a perfect obedience, so it requires that this perfect be a personal obedience, viz. It must be the obedience of one person only. The obedience of two must not be put together to make up a perfect obedience: and indeed to say as the thing is, God will have none to have a hand in the justification and salvation of any man, but Christ only; for, saith the apostle Peter, Acts 4: 12. "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." Believe it then, I beseech you, that Christ Jesus will either be a whole Saviour, or no Saviour; he will either save you alone, or not save you at all.

Nom. But, sir, if man's. obedience to the law do not help to procure his justification and acceptance with God, why did God give the law to the Israelites upon mount Sinai, and why is it read and expounded by you that are ministers? I would gladly know of what use it is.

Evan. The apostle saith, Gal. 3: 19. "That the law was added because of transgression." That is, (as Luther expounds it) "That transgressions might increase, and be more known and seen." Or as Perkins expounds it, "For the revealing of sin, and the punishment thereof; for by the law comes the knowledge of sin," as the same apostle saith, Rom. 3: 20. And therefore when the children of Israel had a conceit that they were righteous, and could keep all God's commandments perfectly as it is manifest by their saying, Exod. 19: 8. "All that the Lord commandeth we will do, and be obedient." The Lord gave them this law to the intent they might see how far short they came of yielding that obedience which is therein required, and so consequently how sinful they were. And just so did our Saviour deal also with the young expounder of the law, Matth. 19: 16. who it seems was sick of the same disease,* "Good Master (saith he) what shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life?" "He doth not (saith Calvin)† simply ask, which way, or by what means he should come to eternal life, but, what good he should do to get it." Whereby it appears, that he was a proud ↑ Ibid. p. 402.

Calvin's Inst. p. 403.